For ages, books have provided a wealth of information. In 1440, the invention of the Gutenberg printing press revolutionized the book printing world by producing relatively inexpensive books on paper, as opposed to parchment. This infamous idea sparked an information age where other people besides clergy could afford and/or gain access to print books. While several advancements in printing books have occurred over the years, in 1971, Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, used a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer to create the first digitized, electronic book (herein an example of an “eBook”). Using the mainframe computer, he typed (i.e., digitized) a copy of the Declaration of Independence. He believed that computers would one day be accessible to the public and decided to make literary works available in electronic form.
With the creation of the internet, various eBooks started to gain steam. Initially, eBooks were generally written for specific technical areas. For example, the subject matter may have ranged from technical manuals to manufacturing techniques. These eBooks were meant for a small, specific audience and therefore were few and far between. Then around 2001, some major publishing companies finally took notice of the eBook trend. Consequently, electronics hardware manufacturers began to develop eBook readers (herein individually also referred to as an “eReader”) in hopes of capitalizing on the eBook phenomenon. In keeping with this emerging trend, publishers launched online stores and partnered with eReader manufacturers to further establish themselves in the eBook marketplace.
Today, due to the global impact of eBooks, publishers are beginning to homogenize eBook publishing formats and eReader manufacturers are developing new device models often to keep up with the competition. In addition, software developers are creating dedicated eReader software that runs, and ultimately displays the eBook, on a dedicated eReader or on multi-purpose access devices such as handheld access devices, smartphones and/or game consoles.
That being said, for eBook purchasing and accessibility options, eBook consumers still subscribe to a print book model. These consumers have come to expect ownership or at least the appearance of ownership of a purchased eBook just as they would with a purchased print book. For example, if a consumer strolls through a bookstore and buys a print book, the consumer has an expectation of ownership in regards to that edition of the print book. The same principle applies for an eBook. Once a consumer peruses an online eBook store and purchases an eBook, the consumer also has an expectation of ownership in regards to that edition of the eBook. In addition, the consumer wants to access the eBook on any eReader compatible access device because he/she feels entitled to that purchased edition. Therefore, publishers and/or content providers, such as AMAZON® and APPLE®, adhere to the expectation that an eBook consumer may download/re-download a purchased eBook to any compatible access device.
However, a challenge arises when the consumer would like to maintain two or more versions (i.e., editions) of the same eBook. When a new version of the same eBook occurs, one known approach overwrites the previous eBook version with a more current version to save space (i.e., memory). While this known approach does save space, it is problematic in many situations. For example, a criminal defense lawyer is representing a client in federal criminal court. The incident and/or charges against his client date back to 2009. Later in 2009, a pretrial motion was presented and decided upon. Nevertheless, the lawyer wishes to appeal the pretrial decision and, in 2011, stands before the court to present his arguments. Since the pretrial motion dates back to 2009, having a copy of the 2009 “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” may be beneficial when referring to the rules on pretrial motions in 2009. Additionally, a 2011 copy of the same book may also be beneficial because the appeal is being argued in 2011. In the known approach, the lawyer carries around a 2009 print version and a 2011 print version of “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” because known eReader software overwrites the 2009 version at some point with a new version (e.g., the 2011 version). In addition, any annotations that are associated with the 2009 version are erased once overwritten with the new, 2011 version.
There exists a known approach allowing a consumer to download individually two or more eBooks with the same title. However, this known approach does not recognize the relationship between the different versions of the same eBook title. In addition this known approach does not allow annotations to be transferred from one version to another due to the lack of relationship. Referring to the previous example, a consumer downloads the 2009 version of “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure” several months ago and inserts multiple annotations on this eBook version. A week ago the consumer decides to purchase the 2011 version. Since no relationship exists between the 2009 and 2011 eBooks on the consumer's access device, the 2009 annotations cannot be copied over to the 2011 eBook version. These annotations are important for at least the unmodified sections of “Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.”
To date, consumer eReader platforms such as KINDLE, NOOK™ and iBOOKS have ignored this problem. However, for content aimed at professionals, a better solution is needed.